


It's the End of the World (And We Know It)

by flipflop_diva



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Apocalypse, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-17
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-13 15:10:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2155146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flipflop_diva/pseuds/flipflop_diva
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was not quite how he thought the world would end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's the End of the World (And We Know It)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [enigmaticblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/gifts).



He never expected the end of the world to happen like this, and he had imagined it happening in so many ways. Of course he had. Watching people destroy each other was what he did pretty much on a daily basis.

He’d gone with nuclear disaster in the SHIELD betting pool that one night they’d all had a little too much to drink and decided that would be a spectacular way to waste time. He’d also contemplated zombie attacks and alien invasions.

Which, he supposed now, would have won him the money — he wondered who had bet on that? Natasha, he suspected — but he had envisioned it more “Independence Day” style and less battle of New York but a million times worse.

But that’s what was happening, and here he was, standing on the edge of a cliff watching it all happen.

He could see the portals opening up. Too many of them to stop. Cities falling. People dying. The sky above filling with smoke and fire.

He turned his head to the saw. It would be so easy … put on the last suit he had left, just one more time. Go out a hero. Maybe save someone. Maybe at least put up a fight.

It would be better than retreating back below ground, waiting it out. He had never taken orders before. Why should he listen to this one? Just because the others …

He reached out his hand, touched the suit, metal cool beneath his fingers.

“Tony. Man. Come on.” The voice behind him halted his movement. He turned around.

“Don’t think about it,” Bruce said, moving closer to him.

“Oh, come on,” Tony said. “Tell me _you’re > not thinking about it. That _they all > aren’t thinking about it. We’re superheroes, dammit! We don’t just watch people die!”__

__“We can’t fight this. There are too many of them.”_ _

__“It never stopped us before.”_ _

__Bruce reached out a hand, placed it on his arm._ _

__“This time, our job is to be there when this ends, to help pick up the pieces.”_ _

__“If there are any pieces to pick up,” Tony muttered._ _

__An explosion rocked the sky as soon as the words left his mouth. They both looked up._ _

__“Fuck,” Tony said. He turned back to his suit. This was his chance._ _

__But Bruce’s hand was still on his arm, his fingers wrapping around him …_ _

__“Not yet,” Bruce said. And Tony followed him beneath the ground._ _

__•••_ _

__They didn’t come back up above ground for three days. Pretty much the three worst day’s of Tony’s life, although he suspected that was just par for the course now. It’s not like anything _good_ was going to come out of this._ _

__The tension below ground had been unbelievable. Too many people trapped together in too small of a space because it was too risky to expand more. And he wasn’t the only who was mad about not being able to do anything._ _

__“Because we’re supposed to just sit hit here and do nothing and let people die while the world is falling apart!” Steve had shouted at one point, to no one and to everyone._ _

__“Because it’s just better for you to rush out there and die too?” Natasha had argued back._ _

__“It’s better than sitting here!”_ _

__“Better for who?”_ _

__“Okay, stop it, you two.” Bruce had played referee there, too, calming everyone down. Or as much as he could anyway. Which, really, wasn’t much._ _

__There was nothing to do below ground except sit and wait and wait some more. They tried to sleep, but it was almost impossible. Tony spent the whole time sitting against one of the walls and watching the others. Steve trying to calm people, Natasha trying to fight people, Clint making arrows, Fury and Coulson talking with their heads together, Maria managing everyone. Other agents and other people he didn’t know._ _

__He tried to sneak back up another time or two, but it was useless. Maria had someone blocking the elevator and he was quickly turned away._ _

__He was one moment of peace came with Bruce in storage closet off the main room. No one saw them go in and locking the door insured no one would interrupt them._ _

__“I don’t think I could have lived in this new world without you,” Bruce said, as they laid together when they were finished._ _

__Tony just sighed. “Yeah,” he said. “Well, I don’t know if we can even live in this new world.”_ _

__•••_ _

__They let the eight of them go back to the surface first — Steve, Bruce, Clint, Nat, Fury, Coulson, Maria and him. After all, they were still the Avengers (plus their handlers) and he knew everyone else was waiting for them to save the day. Or something._ _

__The ride in the cargo elevator up to the surface was slow and silent. Almost painful. Everyone stood, stony-faced, side-by-side, just waiting to see what would happen when they got there._ _

__The trip up through the earth took forever and doors seemed to take even longer sliding open. Once they did, the rays of sunlight hit Tony in the face, almost blinding him._ _

__At least there was still sun, he thought wryly. That was something._ _

__He took a step out, Bruce by his side, and squinted into the daylight._ _

__It was worse than he could possibly have imagined._ _

__They were up above everything, or they would be, if there was something to even be up above anymore. Instead it was just a sea of burning ash and rubble. No cities, no landmarks, houses, no cars, no tress._ _

__No sign of life._ _

__Beside him came a gasp, and he turned his head to see Natasha cover her face with her hands. Steve’s arm was around her. Tony moved closer to Bruce._ _

__Behind them, Clint, Coulson, Fury and Maria were silent._ _

__“Thor … the other gods … they’ll help us, right?” Coulson was the first one to speak, but he didn’t sound very sure._ _

__Fury pushed past all of them to stand in front. “Well,” he said. “Let’s go do what we do and go see what’s worth saving.”_ _

__Tony looked to his side. Bruce reached for his hand and he took it. On his other side, Natasha slipped her hand into his, Steve at her other side, followed by Clint._ _

__There was nothing left to do but face the future, so Tony forced a grin on to his face._ _

__“Let’s go then!”_ _


End file.
